Singlespeed & Fixed Gear"I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five.
Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

I personally don't like machined front/non-machined rear. I think it just takes away from the beautiful symmetry that is a bicycle. If they were both machined, it would look better IMO. Other than that, I love it. Plus bullhorns tilted up looks kinda bad, IMO

The creamroller looks sweet. I would prolly get leather wrap grips on there to match the saddle, though. Ugh I want a steamroller!!

That maroon one with white tires/seat/bars looks sooo good. I want to replicate it!

I personally don't like machined front/non-machined rear. I think it just takes away from the beautiful symmetry that is a bicycle. If they were both machined, it would look better IMO. Other than that, I love it. Plus bullhorns tilted up looks kinda bad, IMO

The creamroller looks sweet. I would prolly get leather wrap grips on there to match the saddle, though. Ugh I want a steamroller!!

That maroon one with white tires/seat/bars looks sooo good. I want to replicate it!

while this is so very true, he has his priorities right and knows that a machined surface gives better braking. Function over fashion always reigns!

while this is so very true, he has his priorities right and knows that a machined surface gives better braking. Function over fashion always reigns!

Yep, I agree, function over fashion. Which is why I have machined side wall celeste Deep Vs. I got them both machined, though, because it just didn't look symmetrical to have the rear one non-machined and the front one machined.

I actually find the machined braking surface distracting. I wonder why we don't have anodized machined surfaces so we can have an even colored rim?

The Giant Bowery 84 has machined surfaces, and they are anodized giving the braking surface color, thus making the rim funcitonal, and fashionable

Any anodized rim can be braked on. Common color Deep Vs are anodized- blue, black, red, etc. Different colored ones (neon green, celeste, etc) are powder coated. If your rim is anodized, you can brake on it. If it's powdercoated, you need to have it machined. And yes, it's not as pretty as non-machined, but it is functional and I think it is best to have them both machined at any rate. Having one machined and the other Non-machined is even more distracting, IMO Of course all of this is, undoubtedly, IMO.

I personally don't like machined front/non-machined rear. I think it just takes away from the beautiful symmetry that is a bicycle. If they were both machined, it would look better IMO. Other than that, I love it. Plus bullhorns tilted up looks kinda bad, IMO

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gyeswho

while this is so very true, he has his priorities right and knows that a machined surface gives better braking. Function over fashion always reigns!

Thanks for the critique. I don't take it personally. There are a bunch of other Surlys that have a much nicer look than mines. It's machined in the front cause I live in Miami. No body respects bikes down here ,so my head is on a swivel when I ride and I feel more secure with the brake on the front. But now that you mention it...yeah, I guess both machined would of looked nicer. Oh well...
As far as the bars....I tried riding them level , but my wrist were still tilted too far forward. After a while of biking it starts to get a little bothersome on the joints, so I adjusted them to where my wrist would feel comfortable like the way I would hold a can of soda if I was drinking it. I can ride like that all day long. On weekends I might bike 25 miles on my fixie.